Narapa, Mind and Nature

Narapa, Mind and Nature discusses the role of nature, the outdoors and our environment as a whole in our lives. From countryside walks to pets, rock climbing and mountaineering to meditation all can have a part to play in ensuring well-being. The role and practice of mindfulness , being awake to every moment is key to our future.

Monday, 25 April 2011

Taken from the Latin 'resurgere' - to rise again, the word resurrection seems appropriate to use in re-opening this blog after a long 'postless' period. The fact that I'm doing so at Easter, the traditional time to reflect on 'resurrection' seems fitting, in this period of growth, spring flowers and longer days (at least in this hemisphere!).

So the intention will be to have regular updates, share ideas on the role of nature, mindfulness and ecotherapy, and to celebrate the world around us.

Wasdale, Cumbria, Easter 2011

With worldwide concerns about conflict, finance and environmental problems; local issues about community, sustainability and services; personal and family communication and caring, it is easy to become overwhelmed. Having access to our natural environment is critical in being able to have a perspective that brings you into the moment, allows you to appreciate the small things as well as the big.

Get outdoors, see the 'big view', appreciate the world around you. Rise Again.

Tuesday, 8 June 2010

The sea of life is in constant motion; no one can stop its ever-moving waves. The stupid man drowns in his effort to cross; the Master walks over the waves; but the wise man swims in the water.(A saying of Hazrat Inayat Khan)

Swimming becomes more difficult as the conditions get tougher. However we can learn techniques and develop tools to use that enable us to cope whatever the conditions. Developing mindfulness helps us get more from life. Whether we run a business, a family, or simply want to live above the circumstances rather than drown under them. Becoming aware, learning to respond rather than react, to be less judgemental, using the flow rather than paddling against it, these are the attributes of mindful living

Monday, 22 March 2010

Sometimes having a 'soft' or 'moist' day (okay it's pouring down) is important. Just as some people might say every cloud has a silver lining, so we can recognise that at the very least a wet weather day may help us appreciate sunny days more. By being mindful we can learn to do much more. We can appreciate the life that rain supports, our own and others. We can recognise the depth, the variety of every day life. We can appreciate how fortunate we are that everyday is different, bringing new challenges, and opportunities. Sometimes even appreciating that nature is so much something we experience rather than control is important in realising that everything changes, life goes on, so engage fully, don't get stuck. Notice how you react rather than respond to each day, set yourself the challenge of finding something to appreciate in every experience, live fully!

Saturday, 19 December 2009

We need to realise that Climate Change isn't about the weather it is about life, the ability to have one.

Spot the difference:

All it takes for scenes like this to be more commonplace, for the greedy to have more while the list of 'have nots' gets longer is for good people to do nothing

With the Climate Change summit in Copenhagen ending with a weak agreement to do something rather than a strong legally binding agreement with specific objectives (you know - all the things we are taught at management school 101, SMART goals, specific, measurable, achievable, realistic and time framed - all the things we haven't got!), we have to ask do we have weak leaders because our own commitment is weak? Can we be bothered or would we rather keep spending, consuming until the resources run out? Until our cosy world is overturned by people looking for food and water?

Saturday, 12 December 2009

Had two walks this morning, one as the sun came up over Gummer's How near Windemere the other through the town centre where the market is taking place. One walk was full of new things to see, the other the same old stuff. One required some effort to get there, the other some effort to stay there. One had people looking cold and miserable the other no-one else for miles. Why is it that we often fail to remember the restorative power of nature? Watching the sun come up (or go down), seeing the bigger view, observing life going on without having to spend more money, noticing how everything changes even as we stand still and look. But being mindful needs effort, to look, listen, feel, use all our senses doesn't happen by accident. But if we can make an effort to go shopping for some momentary pleasure (often followed by the post purchase remorse - should I have bought/eaten/done that?) then maybe we can learn to engage our senses more with the real life going on around us rather than the false life in the marketing promise. We are part of nature not part of someone's business plan.

Friday, 18 September 2009

If we care about our environment, whether because we want to protect areas like this or because we are concerned about the future our children will be dealing with then we need to act. This year, thousands of individuals and organisations from across the country are putting aside their differences to help write the first chapter of 21st Century’s biggest story. The idea is simple: we work together to achieve a 10% cut in the UK’s carbon emissions in 2010. From village post offices to City skyscrapers, everyone’s invited.

Cutting 10% in one year is a bold target, but for most of us it’s an achievable one, and is in line with what scientists say we need right now. And by signing up to a 10% target we’re not just supporting 10:10 - we’re making it happen. The success of 10:10 depends on getting everyone involved, and the 10:10 website has all the tools you need to pass the message on far and wide. We need to start spreading the word to every corner of the country, inviting our friends, family, colleagues, customers, competitors – everyone we know – to take part.

It’s easy to feel powerless in the face of a huge problem like climate change, but by uniting large numbers of people and institutions around immediate, effective and achievable action, 10:10 enables all of us to make a meaningful difference.

It’s the perfect opportunity to find out what’s possible when we work together. 10:10 is about putting aside our differences to tackle the defining challenge of our age. 10:10 is about working together.